This is one of my favorite times of the year. Even though it’s the dead of winter here in the northern hemisphere, the Feast for the Soul is a springboard for renewal, spiritual renewal. It’s a good time to spend time in silence, following my breath, my heartbeat, and my motivation for inspiration.

Preparation for the journey

Unlike many, I don’t meditate sitting on a cushion, chanting, or burning incense (although I do often burn a candle). I use my meditation time to work on one piece of art, forty minutes a day for forty days. I delve into the consciousness of my soul and how it shows itself in my art. I give myself the space to allow the art to tell a story, a theme that is the focus for the length of the meditation.

I find it interesting that when someone asks if we do something regularly, we’re often asked if we do something religiously? I’m not sure how this came about, but I don’t believe it had anything to do with organized religion. I believe it relates to the idea of creating a practice. Engaging in something with regularity and intention. Intention is the key because it drives my focus, and in turn allows the release of negative energy. It gives me the opportunity to allow the energy to guide my actions and provides me with a forum for something that is utmost importance to me, and in many cases, society.

We live in an unsettling world. The amount of uncertainty is enormous and that provides a state of anxiety for many of us. We’re hyper-vigilant impacting our sense of calm, perspective, and focus. The media has heightened our need to be informed. Our safety is threatened by politics, the environment, and the recent repeal of human decency.

The focus of my forty days of meditation is “protection”. The desire, need, and right to feel safe in our country, our homes, and our hearts. The work I’m creating will provide me with a sense of safety because I have the freedom to create. It will provide me with a sense of calm because I’m choosing to be mindful (anyone who doesn’t think textile art doesn’t require mindfulness has never been cut with a rotary cutter or burned with an iron). It provides me with a sense of community and purpose because I’m hoping the work will share the common story we’re currently living.

Join me on this journey (www.feastforthesoul.org). It can have transformative capabilities and will reinforce the feeling of being in community.